The Boxtrolls (2014)

A young orphaned boy raised by underground cave-dwelling trash collectors tries to save his friends from an evil exterminator.

Directors:

Graham Annable, Anthony Stacchi

Writers:

Irena Brignull (screenplay), Adam Pava (screenplay)

Stars:

Ben Kingsley, Jared Harris, Nick Frost

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 59 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Steve Blum	...	Shoe / Sparky (voice)
Dee Bradley Baker	...	Fish / Wheels / Bucket (voice)
Max Mitchell	...	Baby Eggs (voice)
Ben Kingsley	...	Snatcher (voice)
Jared Harris	...	Lord Portley-Rind (voice)
Nick Frost	...	Mr. Trout (voice)
Richard Ayoade	...	Mr. Pickles (voice)
Tracy Morgan	...	Mr. Gristle (voice)
Nika Futterman	...	Oil Can / Knickers (voice)
Pat Fraley	...	Fragile / Sweets (voice)
Fred Tatasciore	...	Clocks / Specs (voice)
Isaac Hempstead Wright	...	Eggs (voice)
Elle Fanning	...	Winnie Portley-Rind (voice)
Maurice LaMarche	...	Sir Langsdale (voice)
James Urbaniak	...	Sir Broderick / Male Workman 1 / Male Workman 2 (voice)

Storyline

THE BOXTROLLS are a community of quirky, mischievous creatures who have lovingly raised an orphaned human boy named Eggs in the amazing cavernous home they've built beneath the streets of a city called Cheesebridge. The story is about a young orphaned boy raised by underground cave-dwelling trash collectors who tries to save his friends from an evil exterminator, the town's villain, Archibald Snatcher. When Snatcher comes up with a plot to get rid of the Boxtrolls. Eggs decides to venture above ground and "into the light," where he meets and teams up with fabulously feisty Winnie. Together, they devise a daring plan to save The BoxTrolls family. The film is based upon the children's novel 'Here Be Monsters' by Alan Snow.

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Plot Keywords:

stop motion animation | chase | boy hero | cheese allergy | subterranean community | 

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Taglines:

From the makers of Coraline and ParaNorman.

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for action, some peril and mild rude humor

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 September 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

Here Be Monsters

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$17,275,239, 28 September 2014, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$50,837,305

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$109,285,033

Company Credits

Production Co:

Focus Features,Laika Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Dolby Atmos Datasat

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the seventh theatrical movie collaboration between best friends Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. The first six being Shaun of the Dead (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007), Paul (2011), The Adventures of Tintin (2011), Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012), and The World's End (2013).

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Goofs

When the teddy bear's music box runs down, Baby Eggs hands the mechanism to Fish who gives the key only two half-turns. The music box then plays again, with its key somehow able to unwind for many revolutions. Later on after the Boxtrolls wake up, this impossibility is repeated, but is even worse since now the key winds/unwinds in the opposite direction.

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Quotes

Eggs: It won't change who you are. Cheese, hats, boxes-they don't make you who you are. You make you.

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Crazy Credits

After the first part of the credits, Mr. Trout and Mr. Pickles have a philosophical discussion about their place in the world while, around them, that world carries on.

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Alternate Versions

In the Latin American Spanish dubbing, Madam Fru Fru speaks in an Argentinean accent instead of a French one, and her song becomes a tango.

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Connections

References Doctor Who (1963)

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Soundtracks

Some Kids
Written by Jessie Donaldson, Ritchie Young
Performed by Loch Lomond

User Reviews

I loved Coraline but this made me uncomfortable...

Coraline is one of my favorite movies. It had a sort of dark comedy to it but this is definitely NOT in that category to me. This was just dark, bordering on sadistic.

I took my 7 year old son and thought this would be a good movie but instead several times I found myself questioning whether this was something he needed to be watching.

The evil characters in this movie are a bit too evil - one especially makes you feel like he could star in the cartoon version of Hostel. The cruelty to the trolls and the children was uncomfortable to watch. I think I laughed maybe once. Most times I was wincing or feeling like I was on the verge of tears. Things that were off putting to me: They show the evil villain swinging to kill the boys dad with a large wrench, a troll and later the boy are put in a cage, boy's dad chained upside down for a "decade" who keeps repeating "jelly" because his brain is not right, chasing a child with a bat and swinging to hit them several times, making jokes about killing the boy because he won't be still then aiming and firing the gun, trolls hit and kicked in their boxes, trolls put in a box crusher machine, and holding a child chained over a fire (even if the outcome didn't happen) was just too intense.

I don't want to even get started on the cheese eating episodes. That part could have played out funny but he was made to be so grotesque. Then when he stretches out his tongue across the screen to eat the cheese twice its just disgusting. Throwing leaches on his face to get the blood swelling out was just beyond strange. Plus the "hostel" guy was so thrilled to be get the leeches to throw on him in secret.

So not to be all negative I did like the animation. The box trolls are adorable.